When you are named after the greatest heavy weight boxing champion, you have to be tough. At 6’4′; 220Ibs Jack was big and tough. Jack grew up attending Emerson Elementary and Stivers High School.
He was a varsity letter winner in football, basketball and baseball. He was 1st team All City in baseball as a junior and 1st team All City as a defensive tackle and 2nd team as an offensive tackle his senior year. He was also 1st team All Greater Dayton on defense and Honorable Mention All Southwestern Ohio on defense that same year.
Jack was a promising pitcher as a sophomore before injuring his arm. In one game against Kiser he struck out 17 batters. Dayton baseball was particularly good with the likes of future major leaguers, Mike Schmidt and Steve Yeager, also in the Class of 67. The Tigers lost to both of their teams by a 3-2 score, and although we were not league champions, during one stretch of the ’67 Summer season, won seven games in a row. In 1966 Jack was named All-City first baseman over Mike Pratt of Meadowdale with a .370 batting average.
Coach Dick Landis’ best football team of the ’60’s was Jack’s senior season in 1966. The Tigers lost to Roth 14-0 in the city championship game.
Even though he was offered football scholarships from many Big Ten schools, Jack accepted a full-ride to play for the University of Louisville. He had to leave after one year because of a family need and joined the Air Force. After leaving the Air Force, he returned to Dayton where he worked for Reynolds and Reynolds for over 30 years.
Jack has been married to his wife, Pamela Crowe for over 35 years. He has two children, Jason and Lisa, and four grandchildren. He is still a resident of East Dayton.
If you would ask Jack who had the most influence on him, he will tell you that his uncles, Henry and Conrad Stewart were his biggest inspirations.